Glare-shield device for automobiles



June 24, 1930. w. H. BUR-ms ET AL, ,5

GLARE SHIELD DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed March 26, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l .Z'n ven for-s: APUF tIS.

1H0 ward June 24, 1930. w. H. BURTIS ET AL 1,765,566

GLARE SHIELD DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed March 26, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jay-a lfffornegs Patented June 24, 1930 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM B. scams, or nmnnaroms, AND MONROE s. HOWARD, or HASTINGS, mmmsora I GLADE-SHIELD DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES Application filed March 26, 1928. Serial No. 264,640.

Our invention relates to glare shield devices for automobiles. When glare shields are placed inside the automobile between the windshield and the driver and when they are attached directl to the windshield or supported so that they lie closely adjacent thereto, such glare shields are so near the drivers eyes that the shields are diflicult to adjust for the purpose of dimming the light of the headlights of approaching automobiles without obstructing the view of the road vanoe of and above t ahead and furthermore, when the shields are not in use, they are unsi htly and apt to be in the way. One of the oijects of our invention, therefore, is to provide a glare shield which. embodies a support osit'ioned in ade win shield in combination with'a screen swin'gingly mounted on said support and operating mechanism adapted to swing the screen down into operative position ahead-of the windshield and to I swing it up into folded position underneath the visor or forwardly projecting roof of the s the dust gives a automobile. The blinding effect of the headlights of'an approaching automobile is in part due to the reflection o'f-the light from surface of the windshield which ighly illuminated surface between the driver and the road and beyond which surface it is difficult for the driver to see. Our glare shield has the further advantage that it intercepts the light from the headlights and casts a shadow on the ortion of the windshield through which t e driver looks. A further object is to provide a device of this character inwhich the screen member is firmly and automatically held in its operative or down position and in its folded or up position.

The full objects and advantages of our invention will appear in connection with the tioularly pointed out in the Fi and Frame and visor of an automobile show-- ing the screen'member of the glare shield place of a se arate visor.

lowered into position for, use. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 except that the screen member is folded up underneath the visor. Fig. 3 is a front elevational view with the screen member'lowered. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale showing the support and operating mechanism for the screen member. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of an operating rod. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of a supporting member. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of one form of screen member which we may employ. Fig. 8 is a View drawn similarly to ig. 1 and showing a modified form of construction. Fig. 9 is a view drawn similarly to Fig. 2 and showing the modified construction. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the support for the screen member employed in this last form of the invention. Referring to the drawings and first more articularly to the form shown in Figs. 1 to the numeral 12 designates a frame member of the automobile beneath which is a windshield 14. As shown, a visor 16 is attached to the frame member 12 but it will be understood that the device is susceptible of use in connection with the form of automobile having a forwardly projecting roof in A tube 18 has a screwthreade rear portion which extends throu h an opening in the frame 12 above the winds ield, being secured in this opening by nuts 20 and 22 engaging with spring washers 24 and 26 placed at the rear and front of the opening respectively. The front end of the tube 18 carries anenlargement 28, the front end of which is beveled or inclined at an angle as best shown in Fig. 6. The rear or low portion of the beveled surface 30 is provided with a stop pin or projection 32 ad jacent which are two notches 34 and 36, on opposite sides. Adjacent the high portion 0 the surface 30, there are two notches 38 and 40 cooperatively positioned to the notches 34 and 36 respectively. A rod 42 is rotata-bly and slidably mounted in the tube 18 and its rear end which projects beyond the tube 18 is provided with an operating handle 44. A washer 46 surrounds the rod 42 and lies against the rear end of the tube 18. A coiled cornerpiece 58 in right angled relation to I 'whatmay be considered the outer end of the plate 54 when the device is in the position spring 48 surrounds the rod 42 and is interposed between the handle 44 and the washer 46 so as to have a tendency to hold the rod in rearward position. The front end of the rod 42 is provided with a fork 50 ada ted to move in the enlargement 28. The ork 50 is provided with a pivot pin 52 u 'on which a small flat plate 54 is pivoted. his plate is of such thickness that it is adapted to fit rather snugly into the notches 34 and 38 in one extreme position and into the notches 36 and in another extreme position. The edge of i tllie late which is in engagement with the bevsurface 30 is beveled correspondingly thereto. A screen member 56 is secured by a shown in Fig. 1'. This screen member is made i struction shown in Fig. 7 When the screenof any suitable sheet material such as celluloid, or perforated sheet metal as in the'conmember extends in the position shown in Fig.

ing angles laterally and may be stopped inx any position which will best interceptfrays from the sun when the position offlth'eisun' is to one side. If the position ofthesun "is frame 12 a 1, it interce ts rays of li ht from headlights of approac ing autom'o iles and also rays from the sun 1f the syn is directly ahead. The screen member is prevented from rattling since the tension of the spring 48 firmly holds the plate 54 in the notches 36 and 40. When it is not desired to use the screen, the handle 44 is pushed forwardly to disengage the plate 54 from the notches and the handle is then turned with the result that the screen memher is swung up into the" osition shown in Fig. 2 where'it is out oft e way under the visor. In this latter position, the plate 54 is firmly held b engagement with the notches 34 and 38. W iile passing from the position of Fig. 1 into that of Fig. 2, it is evident that the screen member 56 willpass through varyto the other side,then by applying ress'ure to the spring .48, the

pending ears 66 provided with holes thro provided which may be of thesamema' terial as the'screenmember 56 previously re ferred to. To one end'of the 'screen meinbe'r 70 there is secured a frame member-72'wh'ich has ears 74 at its ends bent out at right a les 5 and throu h which the rod 68 passes I he ve the windshield 14 is providedwith anopening in which a tube 76 is held by the spring rod 82 will hold it firmly.

position of't e plate; 54 and screen relative y to the-stop p1n32' ma .be reversed so that the'screen member be interposedbetween the'driver and ti -and above. the windshield, said suppo havings beveled surface, a screen carrie 1 said supportand having a beveled surface enbeing provided with a knob 84. The pivot pin 86 having a screwthreaded hole is car'- ried by one of the ears 74. The forward end of the spring rod 82 is threaded for a considerable distance and is screwed into the openin in the pivot pin 86 to such distance that when the screen 70 hangs vertically as shown in Fig. 8, the shank of the knob 84 will be in contact with the head 78 of the tube 76. The tube 76 is fitted into the frame above the windshield in such osition that its axis is in the'same vertical p ane with the axis ofthe hole in the pivot pin 86, but is in a line directed somewhat above the pin 86. When the rod 82 is deflected from straight line position into the position shown and is secured in the pin 82, it is placed under tension and exerts an upward pressure on the pin tending to tube 76 as in Fig. 8 or folded up against the underside of the visor as in Fig. 9. When the screen member is not needed, it is necessary merely to pull backwardly on the knob 84 to rotate the frame member 72 and the screen member 70 to the left about the bolt 68 until the screen comes into contact with the underside of the visor where the tension lpf pushing forwardly on the knob until it strikes the tube 76, the frame member 72 and the screen member 7 O'will be rotated toward the right until they are in vertical position where the screen will be held stationary by the upward pressure of the rod 82.

'7 We claim:

of and. above the windshield, a screen swing- -ingly mounted on said support whereby it may be swung down into operative position aheadlof thewindshield and may be swung ;--up-into-folded osition, a slidable rotatable spring-tensions rod extending into the auto- '."I'no bi le,fand connections between the outer sari-: said-rod and said screen whereby rotat ve-movement of said rod causes said screen j t'o.;,xnove:.;frdra one-position to another and whereby 'sliding movement of said rod serves to firmly-lm'ld said' screen in its two positions nd torelease it therefrom.

2 ffgiar'eshield device for automobiles comp risin'glasupport positioned in advance rt y gaging said first beveled surface, and operating mechains'm for swinging said screen with the leveled surface in engagement with each other whereby said scren is .caused to swing through varying angular positions laterally between an o erative position ahead of the windshield an a folded position above the windshield.

3. A glareshield device for automobiles comprising a tubular su port positioned in advance of and above t e windshield, said support havin a beveled surface, a screen carrying a beve ed surface engaging said first beveled surface, a rod to the forward end of which said screen is pivotally attached, said rod being rotatably mounted in said tubular support, and means for rotating said rod whereby said screen is caused to swing through varying angular positions laterally between an operative position ahead of the windshield and a folded position above the windshield.

4. A glareshield device for automobiles comprising a tubular support'positioned in advance of and above the windshield, the

1 front of said support having a beveled surface, a screen carrying a beveled surface engaging said first beveled surface, a rod to the forward end of which said screen is pivotally attached, said rod being rotatably and slidably mounted in said tubular support, a spring normally holding said rod in rearward position to maintain said beveled surfaces in engagement with each other, and means for rotating said rod whereby said screen is caused to swing through varying angular positions laterally'between an operative position ahead of the windshield and a folded position above the windshield.

5. A glareshield device for automobiles comprising a tubular support positioned in 40 advance of and above the windshield, the

front of said support having a ringlike beveled surface provided with notches, a screen,

a plate secured to said screen, said late having a beveled surface engaging sai first beveled surface and ada ted to fit into said notches, a rod to the orward end of which said plate is pivotally attached, said rod being rotatably and slidably mounted in said tubular support, means for rotating said rod whereby said screen is caused to swing through varying angular positions laterally between an operative position ahead of the windshield and a folded position above the windshield, and a spring normally holding said rod in rearward position to maintain said beveled surfaceswith engagement with each other and to cause said plate to recede into said notches when said screen is in its e2;-

treme positions.

In testimony whereof we hereunto affixrour signatures.

WILLIAM H. BURTIS. MONROE S. HOWARD. 

